UK / Nigerian Scammers

I have had an intimate relationship with a man for six months online, on IM, on the phone and by email. He asked me to marry him, open a bank account for him . . .said he will adopt my son and send him to college. He told me he lives in Essex, UK, but after 6 months and some RED FLAGS, I traced his IP address to Nigeria. Peoms, wedding vows, plans for the entire wedding. He got me good, he was sweet and loving until I ran out of money and told him I did not have any more money to send him for his next emergency. Then all of a sudden he was kidnapped, beat, had to have surgery, had to have money for his hotel bill, pay his bridge construction workers, pay tax, send equipment, fix equipment etc. . . .then he said that if I came over to visit him that I would be kidnapped.

Well guess what, he has over 200 profiles with the same verbage and different pictures now. Match.com is uncooperative and has not even removed half of the over 200 profiles, but ladies, it gets worse, there are thousands on match.com with the same key words. They use particular phrases that are not european nor american and they can be spotted immediately. http://www.ic3.gov internet crimes division has all this information and they have done nothing to help me with my financial loss, not to mention the emotional loss and my son's loss at the thought of finally having a loving father after his father died.

Their Nigerian and British bosses make them bring in $50,0000 from each woman (men too) or they cannot leave the Lagos, Nigeria boiler room that they work in. These men truly are held hostage by the brains of the operation,they cannot leave and they only allow them to leave after they get $50,000. The men barely eat and they are watched all the time. They even accompany them to the store so they cannot run away. He got $30,000 out of me before I ran out of money. He did tell me all the above in confidence before he dissappeared.

I thought I had met my true love forever. "Honey, baby, cutie, sweetie, babe, want to have children with you, will take care of you forever, you will never need to work again, I love you forever babe" then, "go sell your jewelry at the pawn shop," "borrow money from your friends," "sell anything you can so we can be together forever."

BEWARE do not use Western Union! Do not fall for it. I am smart, but I fell for it, they are really smooth and highly educated with an answer for everything. He is on the run now and the FEDS have not responded to my months of complaints, but please report these men to http://www.ic3.gov internet crimes division, PLEASE, do not feel ashamed, do it before another woman kills herself from the tragic embarrassment.

Comments

Example Ladies, there are thousands of the same on MATCH< com, interesting how the abuse and scams multilplied by 5 times in 12 months since they sold the company to an affiliate, hmmmm . . .with a nigerian team is my guess, talk about owning an island . . . .
Dream1mate
Life is all about taken chances '' Its about getting out there and dancing in its Rain ''... LETS TAKE THE CHANCE ~
Active within 24 hours

49-year-old man (they range (median) from 45 to 55 but they always target widows)
New York, New York, United States (Chicago is the hub, but they claim to be all over the US and the UK, but they are in Nigeria . . . .)
seeking women 45-56
in United States
Relationships: Never Married
Have kids: No
Want kids: No, but it's OK if my partner has kids (sometimes prey upon those wanting children and will send you to a doctor to make sure you are fertile . . . and will plan child birth with you . . . )
Ethnicity: Other (usually say white or caucasion, but we are all targets, white, black, brown, men, women . . . all of us. . . )

In my own wordsfor fun:
I enjoy great conversations for starters...Love antique collecting & nostalgia in general. I can enjoy a great dinner with that special someone or just kick back curled up in her arms & do nothing. I like to travel, cook.

my job:
Architect and Designer - I work alot but I'm not a work-a-holic. My business and social life are often dovetailed. (KEY WORD)

my ethnicity:
American And Swedish, Sexy Combination. Born in America but raised in Europe , Spent my whole life living and exploring Europe

my religion:
I believe in God ..

favorite hot spots:
Golfing Going to someplace to get a bite to eat & a drink while a small group plays is nice. Kind of like an MTV unplugged. Listening to new upcoming talent is fun, while you can still carry on a nice conversation.

favorite things:
Hang ups?...Salsa & good chips! The smell of rain after a good thunderstorm. The first warm breezy day in the springtime. Cracking a homer in softball. The warm smile of a sexy woman...unspoken eye contact...Enjoy eating Sea foods too..Chicken.

last read:
Books I enjoyed reading were on angels and life after death accounts...quite diverse, huh? :)... I had just read a book on garden ponds. The latest book I read?... The 5 Love Languages. A wonderful book, a must read for anyone.
About my life and what I'm looking for Hello and welcome to my profile. I'm a hard working professional who is physically fit, sincere, and has a passion for life. I enjoy listening to live music in small venues, as well as, having dinner in fine restaurants quaint hideaways. I enjoy taking off on spontaneous short trips for a weekend.

I've always been into the "healthy" lifestyle and workout daily at home. I enjoy biking, movies, museums, boating, theater, walking or hiking. I am a beach lover and enjoy having moonlight walks. I would enjoy shopping with you unlike most others. I also collect antiques and find it really romantic and nostalgic about them. I'm very humble, down to earth kind of guy. I play softball when I am not working but I enjoy watching soccer the most.

The woman I would like to find should be sensitive, well educated, and takes care of herself physically. Obviously friends first, if anything further develops it would be a bonus. Honesty is huge. With all the so-called riches in life, the richest ones have that true undeniable love for one another. She should be someone I can share anything within life, and one who can bond with myself as a true "best friend". An affectionate woman to share personal passions, dreams, and interests would be wonderful. You are assertive, witty and intellectually outgoing, not into games. Attraction is a key as we both know, but chemistry is what eventually wins over and sustains a relationship. It's not all about how one looks... but I still maintain we both need that spark to start, correct? Just a naturally good feeling when you meet someone. She should be sensitive, well educated, and takes care of herself physically.

I really enjoy reading what a woman has to say about herself and find that equally as,... if not more important. A woman who can really captivate my thoughts, and being a passionate kisser is a must... nothing like it. I'm a sensitive soul, much more of a cuddling type. I'm not in a hurry to get to the end, but to develop some great chemistry with a special woman would be a nice start and yes, eventually have that partner in life again. Friendship, sharing & simple things sum it up for me. If you find my profile of interest

Excuse me, I've met this guy on Match.com too and of course he said he is from London, UK . We've been e-mail and chat on line for few weeks.
Just last week, He told me that he would fly back to London and planing to meet with me soon. After that, he had been missing in contact for 10 days and suddenly called my said that he got a terrible car accident on the way to the airport. He had been sent to hospital since last week. and now he need the money for the hospital bill and of course he was asking if I could help him cause he said that he didn't want his sick father to worry about him in London. My qestion is, when those scammers said that they are in hopital, will they give you the name of hospital ? cause they
knew we would call and check with the hospital, right?
Please if you can assisit me with my question, cause the amount that he asked was about 2,500 USD. I don't want to loss these money to a scammer but I've also worry that if it was true that he really got into a accident that night and need help now. thank you

DO NOT SEND HIM MONEY! I got this story too, but Joe hurt his arm on a bridge job, then had to have a tooth pulled and needed money for medicine as well as the hotel he had not paid in months. Oh, poor baby . . .they prey upon your good heart and look for religious women. Match is a haven for the Nigerian scam artists. There are thousands. Do not fall for it!!!! I have a list of names, send me his name and I will betcha he is on the list. DO NOT SEND HIM MONEY! They will have two or three guys working you pretending to be the same person. Notice any mood changes or differences in text or writing styles, they have a server and they can all see and talk to you at the same time; they trade off when their shift ends. They have sweet talkers and closers. Sometimes you will be talking to more than one person at a time . . .they are very good at finding the soft spot in your heart! They won't stop until they get all your money . . . one thing after another. Since I am not their cash cow any more, they will take all your money too . . .

thank your for your immediately response, His name is William Clarkson. Would you check for me , if he is on your list ? or you have any person start with William as a first name on your list? But he gave me the name of the hospital and phone number too, he was not worry that I might call and check the hospital myself? I just don't know why these people think they can play game on us easily. Anyways, thank you again for your help, and please check his name for me. Thanks

There have been many Williams . . . the hospital will not give any information to a non-relative: PERIOD. England has a great medical system, he can leave without paying the hospital. They will fix him and release him if it is true. If he loves you, he will be there without taking any money from you. If he needs your money, you don't want him. They are trained at being loving, but they are evil. Just wait until you piss one off, I did. WOW, good thing I am not intimidated easily.

Ok I got one!
I was browsing match.com looking for someone who is real and ready to settle down and be my queen and live happily ever after. When this girl who calls herself Jennifer Freeman sends me an e-mail and tells me what a good man I seem to be, and would love to get to know me better. However she can not afford to be on match.com anymore, as she lost her job and almost got raped by her boss who will not give her the money he owes her. I know enough about Africa to know that sort of thing happens. So my heart went out to her as you can imagine a big brother of 4 girls would feel. She gives me her e-mail address and say's to e-mail her on her personal e-mail for now on pathway_princess84@yahoo.com.
I think I might be the dumbest man alive! I have fallen for her hook line and sinker. She knows how to talk to me. We have e-mailed each other almost everyday for 4 months. She claims her parents died in a car accident on there way back to the states. So she now lives with her aunt in Nijeria Africa (Dami John is her aunts name) and hates it there and wants to desperately move back to the states. It didn't take very long before she said to me. (Her own words) "I have to go to US Embassy here in Nigeria to make a Clearance of my Visa, so that the visa can be grainte immediately. Well i told her you and i will sort it out. She said is going to cost me $450, Everything have been difficult since i stop working, The money with me now is not upto the Bill fees. I mean am out of money since i stop work. I think you can remember what i told you about my work. i have to pay $450 before the document can be grainte here to me. So that i can come back to state to meet you.The problem is that i just have $150 with me now. I don`t know if you can help me with rest of the money. I was thinking if am going to lose you."
I sent her $300 thru western union. My stomach was in knotts! I drove to the western union and drove away without sending the money almost sure I was being scammed. I text her and asked her to call me. She called me right away where I told her I was very Leary about what I was doing scared to be scammed. She burst into tears on the phone assuring me her love for me is for real, begging me to please help her get back home to the states and with me forever.
She said at first she could get the money for the ticket to the states from her late parents inheritance keeper, (or something like that) but then after I sent the money she had some complication and now she wanted me to send her 2k for the price of the plane ticket, and she would pay me back when she flew in. This request went on for months saying that our love depends on me coming up with that money. I told her I would buy the ticket for her to come to the states, all she would have to do is show up and pick up her ticket on flight day. She refused my offer saying that "I couldn't book a flight for her only she could do it from over there". I even called the airlines and inquired which they said me purchasing her ticket from over here would be fine. she could just pick it up after the purchase. Again she refused!
As of late I lost my job and I told her I could not possibly come up with that money. She informed me that she would send me a check (Her parents inheritance money for her) for me to cash over here, because its an international check which you cant cash in Africa, and send her the money via western union. She sent me 4 fraudulent money orders $823.50 totalling $3,294.00 . I am now getting investigated for fraud, in creating and trying to cash fraudulent money orders. I'm in complete shock and blown away how people could take advantage of an innocent and loving man, who would give his shirt off his back to help anyone in need. In all using love and feelings of a person to profit financially.
If you hear any of these words Dami John (her aunt or step mom supposedly) David Moore (inheritance keeper supposedly) Yinka Johnson (travel agent supposedly) Her address where I wired the money 23401 Logas Nijeria Cell/pager number 011-234-8074264114
PS. I just don't want to see anyone else get hurt by her as I have. Her photo's she uses are obviously amiture model photos. Lee

Thanks to this web site, we can come together to find out the truths about them. Those evils are using our loves and cares for their selfish desires, they need to be caught and punished. I would like to say a special thanks to broken_ sad_ mom, without your advise, I could have lost $2,500.00 to this heartless evil. I've found his photos on the romancescam.com and ,of course that was not his photos at all, he just stole them from a model agency. He is such a professional one were using different names and e-mail address in all different dating site not just Match.com. Anyways, I got a help with my friend and have found his IP address and located where he is in Nigeria. He will pay for what he's done to hurt all the innocent people who are really careing and loving to help him. I am a Buddhist from Japan, he's been trying to use my careing heart to get money from me. He thought all the Asian women and Buddhist are very careing for their loves one so ,he was playing this emotion with me.. . But he had made a big mistake about this, In Buddhism, we do believe justics too and he will get his soon.

I don't get it. When will people learn that if the email is from or has anything to do with Nigeria, it's a scam. Wake Up people. When was the last time you heard from anybody involved with Nigerian emails pleading for money, that turned out to be a good story. They are always scams. Get Real!

Soft hearted: Thanks for the messaage. Shiva sits in front of my bedroom. I am so glad you had help to see the truth. Thank you for the appreciation. We fall so haphazardly for this type of person who allegedly needs us so much and offers such devoted love in return . . . I guess we had something to learn, as my father would put it. The reality is that Karma will follow them for many lifetimes and I have told him/them that over and over in my correspondence with them as I took down their profiles on match.com. Bizarre thing is, they still contact me all the time because they are bored, no one has much money and they would rather look busy scamming us and entertain themselves at our expense in the name of work rather than to go out and toil the soil to grow their food to eat. Instead, they sit there hungry until they get a "soft hearted" woman to wire them some money on Western Union so they can give it to the &amp;amp;quot;Brains of the Operation&amp;amp;quot; while they continue trying to find the next mark . . . a kind person who believes in love and helping the ones we &amp;amp;quot;want to love.&amp;amp;quot;

Remember: report them to http://www.ic3.gov

Maguire: Sorry for your loss. There are good women out there. Love is harder and harder to find these days. Keep the faith that Love does exist, but don't fall for the "highly educated" but immoral, unethical men and women preying upon us to fund their civil war. It is amazing that such highly educated people who lead us to believe that they are Engineers etc. have really had many years of education in Psychology and Sociology with emphasis in how to make people fall in love so they can take your money and break your heart. It is a type of WAR against us as a society. To make us distrust and isolate ourselves . . . but we need to be strong and take this on as if it is a WAR, because it is just another form of one. And to those who think we are stupid: NOT TRUE, just loving and hoping that all people are good. I for example am very intelligent. It takes a very smart person to trace an IP and obtain all the email addresses that have used it. That is how we will conquer this problem . . . by doing our research and reporting it to the authorities so they can do their job.

Keep your friends informed and don't be afraid to tell others so we can fend them off.

PhotoIM: They tell us that they are in the UK and America and the IP addresses are routed thru those countries (althought they do route thru Virginia on the way from the US, so the Feds and our main military base have access). The phone numbers are also routed, so it is very difficult to identify that they are from Nigeria. Mostly Lagos btw. Their accents are sexy and they speak English very well. They are smart people. It also takes a very sophisticated mind to track these IP addresses and the email addresses of the scammers who use them. Use skype and make them show their faces, otherwise, just must assume you are talking to someone in Nigeria and if they keep you happy, then fine, if they ask you for money, dump them fast and report them asap.

does anyone know of a company called julius berger that scammers say they work for.Also how does someone call you from the UK and them say they are going to Nigeria and then call you from there do they have to be in both places to call. I do not understand how they can call from both places. this guy i talked to was calling fromthe Uk then went to Nigeria and he has called from there

Hey ladys, i was reading your messages doing a bit of research for uk bound travel, as ill be returning pretty soon. However this makes me laugh, at some of your guys stupidity (sorry). I mean come on...sending 30,000 dollars to someone you don even know half way cross the world, did you even do a webcam chat first? You know the nigerians take all westerners as fools for this. Yankies, Yanks, Yonkies whatever term you want to call it. And the amazement that you guys fall for this stuff before doing some research like background checks, calling authoritys or anyone over in the country to verify the existance of the human being. People online lie easily, and the belief of someone you cannot see in person to study theyre eyes and body language that only the most skilled liars can control is utter nonsence. Strategically speaking, what man do you want that asks YOU for money, if i loved a woman, or cared for them, i feel its my obligation as a Man to take care of her and protect her, and any man that doesnt do this, is not who you need/want. Now i realize with the advent of missing fathers in most of our lives, not all men have been brought up with the proper morals, but just wait, and see, look, seek and you shall find, everyone you meet is just an encounter, whether it be at wal-mart, piggley wiggly, the bus, train, restaraunt. Why are you wonderful woman on online websites as match.com? You are to afraid to make the first move, and suffer rejection in real life? Us guys are afraid of the same things, and let me tell you it occurs frequently for me i wont lie, but i never give up just say hi, or hello, start a conversation, dont be the bitch or asshole we all hate, and youlle be excited at how many relationships you go through. But its always one step closer to that one special person. Even if it never turns into something, you learned something from it. Please do yourselfs a favor and every lonely guy out there a favor and initiate as well. Just have some self respect about it.

Just scammed by Jerry840 at Yahoo. Carrying on internet romance for about 3 weeks. Only got me for 200.00 though and I tracked his email address through Spokeo too late. Turns out he is a 37 y.o. by the name of Sunny K (maybe). I paid Spokeo, went on line and damn, if he didn't catch me. My professional website has been cruised by Spokeo a number of times in 24 hours and I took it down today. It has my internet phone number on it, which he had already with my full name and POB, so I'm sure he has that information now. It also has an older looking picture of Jerry Davidson on it, who may or may not be part of the scheme. I've also found Jerry on Myspace with a photo with a location in Los Angeles (too close to home). Most of the hits on my website came out of Sunnyvale, CA where Sunny K lists he is from. Seems hard to believe that he would have info on line directing back to his location. What do you think the possibilities are that he is from Sunnyvale and Jerry is actually in LA? The first phone number exchange was 599 and then it was all Nigerian numbers after that. I've put a hold on mail POB from forwarding my mail to another address which is mostly what I fear might happen. They say mail forward requests go through your hometown Post office before being forwarded out to have it changed. Also, so you know, if you do find these guys on Myspace, they can track who is looking at them.Met this guy on Match. He has an accomplice Karl Betts in Nigeria.I've decided to stop tracking this guy as of today so I can resume a normal life. What are the chances that they might retaliate? When I found out I was duped, I let him know I was reporting him to police and would track him down. Of course police, yahoo and match will do nothing.

well, I recently had three attempts from men, two from Match.com, both with Nigerian IP addresses. One of them claimed he was in the UK but then had to travel to Nigeria (I know, red flag) to inspect a plant his dead parents had left him unbeknownst to him because he was born in the Netherlands and had moved to the UK after his wife died in an accident and left him with a young daughter. Next thing I know he's in Nigeria and it didn't take long for him to have the typical crisis -- i.e., my daughter is sick and I got myself into a mess. Please help me. blah, blah, blah. Well, I didn't and haven't heard a thing since but I will tell everyone on this site that this guy had no Nigerian accent at all, very British. He was always the one I spoke to on the phone and the style of his writings did not change so he was very good at this. I have since seen that from the beginning every email he sent was from Nigeria. These guys use phones which can appear to be in the UK, usually with the numbers "70" in the prefixes, and also Nigerian mobile numbers. I found his photos on many different sites all with different ages and different locations, most of them in the USA. He broke my heart but was the kindest out of the three.

The second one was borderline abusive verbally to me and claimed he was a very jealous man. He claimed he was an engineer working in Nigeria and lived in SoCal. Again, when things came down to it, he claimed he lost his wallet and needed money to tied him over. Let this be a lesson to everyone. If it sounds too good, and they come on strong right off the bat, they're probably a scammer and anyone can check to see the origination of their IP address for free online and should. Had I checked them out from the beginning I would not be feeling like a total schmuck now. Thank God I didn't send either them money and the only damage done was to my fragile heart.

just want to add pls bware of these guys saying telling you that they are a widower and had a son from their african wife who died in a car carsh and now their sons lives in aficica with the ex wife or financee mother and then after talking for a while they tell u that they need money to send their son for feeding allowance. had a couple tried to play me like this. granted he told me that he live in the united states and the that he worked for sent him to the uk to work, but also want get paid unitl the job is finished. so he can not send the money. have a lot of those on these sites, but one step ahead, if u live in the united states and your son in n africa with granny as they so call her. why is he there and not with u another question. i started saying some american slains to these guys and they had no glue what i was speaking. for instance: it will get better, cos the wind dont blow in the same directions all the time and some more. he did not have a clue what i was saying, therefore i knew that he was not from here in the united states. later he told me i think that u can forget about me cos u are saying some weired things. also told him that i was going to put a blank piece of paper in the word of God and tell him the things that they were trying to do, but would not write his name on the paper would let God fill in his name cause God would put the right name on it cos i knew his name was fake that he was giving. think that i scared the living hell out of him cos never heard from him again. u have to be one step ahead of these scammers. still have on asking me for money to send his son. actually just playing with him to see how far it will go. giving him the challage of his life. don't think he expected to run across a woman of my caliber. he is still trying with that lie. and i know this he tells me why all the questions. hell, not stupid as u think. also had one lady to email me cause i put something on their site page. beware scammers. but she had already fallen for this guy. yes, i must admit they come across some pictures of nice handsome men with a child and put on their profile, but like i told him is that he need to get another pcture cos the little girl that he claimed to be his daughter was a little to bright for him and his africian late wife. u see u take a chance of these sites, but always do research before u fall for lies. all these sites are a chance to take. my things is if this child is so hungry then bring him back to the united states where u say u r living and talke him to mcdonalds. i also told him this as well. hell catching hell myself in this day and time how can i help anyone that i have never come in contact with just im that is foolish. and yes they do prey on woman between 40-50 years thinkins that u r just old lonely women that will fall for what ever is said to us. think that they ran across the wrong sista this time. now the joke is on them and still have my precious heart in tack. thanks to common sense

I am a victim of a scam also. This scam was on the Tagged website. His name was David Moore - an architect living in Florida but originally from the UK. He scammed me for $450.00. He supposedly flew to London for work and while there was robbed at the hotel he was staying at. He disappeared for 8 or 9 days and when he resurfaced -- that was his story. Before he managed to fly back to the states, his hotel was robbed and the crooks stole all of his money, computer, identification, etc. He was in the hospital. The hotel manager was kind enought to let him stay until he came up with the money for a flight back to the U.S. He needed money for a flight back - $1700.00. I let "David" know that I did not have money. At first, I wasn't sure about his story so I prayed about it, sent him $450.00, and told him that he was on his own from there. Told him that if he was lying that he would go to hell. I took a chance on him telling the truth. That was 4 days ago. I haven't heard from him since. I did take a chance with him but I am happy that it is over. I am a very strong, but good-hearted woman! It is very easy to get suckered into these scams.

i've also just found out i've been duped; i wish i did my homework more before sending money...i'm at lost of $4000...they are belieavable and plays on emotional frustration....sorry to say its too late for my financial bind....

I am sorry that you lost money. I have found that it is best to appeal to the kindness of their hearts and make them feel guilty. I have now gotten to the truth of my situation; yeah, I went thru a lot of money, but I had a daily friend that I just adored. They really need the money badly where they are. I wish there were some alternative rehabilitation process for them or job training that gives them options to earn while they learn; they feel that scamming is the only alternative for them in Nigeria. "Even the schools are corrupt . . ." most of the IP's trace to the schools, so it is sort of hard to figure out who is using the computer in the library and sometimes they trace to the professors: VERY BAD! Wonder what the professors are teaching. Is there a class called "How to Scam in the New World Economy?" Google has a search engine to look up IP's that tell you name, address, phone number of who the IP is registered to, but how you get it, you will have to consult a specialist. I can't disclose who did it for me or how he did it, but I am glad I found him because now I keep "My Scammer" so busy trying to educate him and make him a better person that he does not have time to scam anyone else. Think maybe he is worried? Nah! Educating them is the solution because they are smart. Get their phone numbers off the trace and call 'em to say HI. LOL! It's a new sport, playing with the Nigerian Scammers, it was even on the show HOUSE. P.S. ic3 is a puppet, guess they were created to make us feel like our government cares about us . . .

I am sorry to hear about your experiences with nigerian scammers. First of all, not all Nigerians are scammers and secondly, it is not a wise idea to send money via western union or moneygram or fedex to ANYone no matter what sob story they come up with, whether or not you feel sorry for them. Yes, it is possible to call someone in the UK/USA using a Nigerian or other overseas numbers. Also, please please please note that all nations have their bad eggs, not just Nigerians. Remember, DO NOT give your bank details or password to any website posing as your bank. Have a merry christmas and a happy new year and don't be a victim of scam this season.

Thank you for contacting the U.S. Consulate. We can often help American citizens who need help getting home and financial assistance. Have the person come to the Consulate any weekday or call the American Citizen Services direct line at 01.460.3600 and we will do everything we can to help.
Unfortunately, we have heard of several such people claiming to travel to the States when in fact they are simply trying to scam an American into sending them money. The person you have been corresponding with most likely has no intentions to travel to America and is likely not an American Citizen trying to return to the States. This is an attempt to entice you to send money to help them with some mishap that has befallen them at hotel check-out time, on the way to the airport or at immigration inside the airport. They may also claim to need help paying for the U.S. visa, plane ticket, or Basic Travel Allowance (which does not even exist). It is possible that it is one of the many e-mail scams originating from Nigeria. There are many such scams involving someone in Nigeria who is in some sort of trouble, ranging from detention to extortion to hospitalization. If this is someone you have not met in person, we suggest you break off contact with the person and by no means should you send money.
More information can be found at http://travel.state.gov/pdf/international_financial_scams_brochure.pdf.
We hope this is helpful.

Sincerely,

Correspondence Unit
United States Consulate General
Lagos, Nigeria

YES, LADIES, THEY ARE ON THE PROWL ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT LONG just looking for another loving woman to scam out of her life savings. Don't be stupid ladies. Look at what the Nigerian Government has to say about their own people. How about finding an alternative for these young men?

hi i need help i have fallen for a guy who says hes a ship captain his name he says is williams mike, i met him on facebook ,his profile said hes from dallas usa, but it turns out hes in nigeria n hes retiring soon but has been there for going on 20 yrs n then hes going back to the states where he has 2 houses one in dallas n one in new york, i need to know if anyone has come accross him , he says hes white 6ft 9 n his profile pic is all he has till he goes back to dallas,coz his pc not working properly, hes into me now for about $4000 , n says hes coming to see me in the uk for christmas ..thing is hes saying he need $300 more because hes been robbed n they took all his money and causing him bad injury n killing 2 of his work collegues whilst all this very beleivable, (hes very good ) but i told him i was homeless n he still wants more money n he says everything going to be ok when he gets to me which is going to be on 15th of this month but i need to get this money n he can cash this cheque that the nigerian government given him which is worth $20,000 ,he said it was compensation for the robbery can anyone help because he needs stopping if hes a scammer ...i also think hes got a partner n someone may know his name as ray green he says hes a construction worker n part time doctor n i know hes on dateing sites he also says hes comes from dallas

"i can never stop loving you, you are all i have ever wanted in a woman. i will be home to you very soon . . ." SOUND FAMILIAR?

They all have similar stories. He is not coming home to you for the holiday honey, he is using your money to survive a relatively high lifestyle in a country with a lot of poverty. Look at it this way, he provided a service, he made you feel good and you paid top dollar for his services . . .this is how they see it. They know what they are doing is wrong and they are hurting women every day. They feel that there are few alternatives for jobs and this is great money for them. Some of them are putting their money to good use to educate themselves. Ask him for the truth, he may just tell you because they are not afraid of the Nigerian Government. If you report them to Nigerian officials, the officials will contact the Scammers and put pressure on them for their percentage of the money that they got from you, so the Scammers are then required to go out and find additional victims to pay the bribes for not getting into trouble.

Put this into perspective, you are lonely, he fulfilled a need for you and now you need to stop contacting him; if you just can't stand it and you need him that badly, continue to talk to him to fulfill your emotional needs knowing that he is a young, black, Nigerian man who does this for a living. If you feel wealthy enough to support a Nigerian, then send him money, but don't deceive yourself by believing his lies or you will continue to extend the pain and suffering he has put you through.

Try to have a nice holiday honey, contact friends, try to put this behind you, or send him the $300. knowing that you are feeding a young man who may not be able to feed himself any other way, but acknowledge to yourself that you will never meet him. It is not an easy task to find and punish these Scammers. You have taken a big step by writing this plea for help, now deal with your emotions and HEAL YOURSELF before you become a Christmas statistic. I am sorry for all of us! I have no money for my family this Christmas either . . .we are lucky to have a home still. I hope you were kidding about being homeless. Love and kisses from another Victim.

Wow! Ive just read these comments and I cant believe how gullible people are. Sending someone you have never met thousands of dollars?

yes, its hard to meet partners/lovers; but money cant buy you love. Sending money to someone halfway across teh world isnt going to make them love you. By teh same logic, if they love you and you dont send them the money they should still continue to love you.

Broke_Sad_Mom get over it and move on. Trying to mine some kind of purpose out of this will get you nowhere...clearly youre stillin love with teh fantasy and are holding on to foolish dreams of being together.

Shocked and incapable:
Sounds like you are from some third world country 'cause you can't spell worth shit, obviously you have no money or you would not be shocked, you poor little minded bastard, or are you his Nigerian girlfriend that watches him scam women all day long? What do you think wives are? They are paid whores. So what's the difference if a woman pays a man? You sound jealous that you would have no clue how to be happy. I rather pay than put up with people like you. I'm not really SAD, I'm happy as can be . . .but you're so stupid, you don't know a joke when you read one. duh, duh, dunno why no one likes me, I'm so bored, I'm reading about Nigerian Scammers. Get a life LAZY!

Hi everyone,im glad to find this site. I have been scammed, too. I met a man through Tagged.com and he was too good to be true. He is Nigerian, living in Spain, without any official papers to stay there. Took me for granted. I went to Spain to meet him, we got engaged, after three months we got married. I was happy, but i had an instinct that everything is not ok. One month after our wedding he proposed to a woman from Ireland (from Tagged, too) and wanted to live his life with her. I traced this woman and we have shared our experiences. She was almost scammed, too. She was about to fly over to Spain and adopt his kid (2 years old) he took care of. He always needed something for the kid, napkins, food, clothes and whatever...he wanted money always...he needed to pay his rent, he was sick, the baby was sick, he needed eyeglasses...The last time i went to Spain and meet him, we had an interview with the local immigration policeofficer and he was trying to get papers to stay in Europe as he was married to an European woman and had a baby with an European woman (Spanish). We were interviewed separately and it was a an awful experience for me. He was 100% sure to get his documents to Europe, but i changed my mind in the interview, everything was clear to me. I decided to leave him and get divorced. But i did not tell anything about it to him. I still stayed with him and his 2 years old kid for 4 days and guess how slowly the time went by. I tried to act like before, concentrated myself on the day i leave. Finally, the day i left back to my country, i entered the plane and looked out from the window. I said to myself "goodbye forever, this is it, i will never return back here". The next day he phoned me how was my trip...and asked to send him money as soon as possible. I told him i will never send him money again and i will divorce him. he was shocked, could not believe it. I hang up...his parents and brothers started to phone me from Nigeria to not leave him. His friends from Spain phoned me to not leave him...but i was determined and had decided that this scumbag will taste his own shit now. At last, he was living on the street as nobody paid his rent...poor him...through a friend from Spain, i heard he is back together with his Spanish ex-girlfriend. Im happy im free now, he is a bad memory and i never want to see him or hear from him in my life again. I hope he will be punished for what he has done.

broke_sad_mom
How can I contact you so we can speak? I read your posts on the Africa forum and they were very helpful to me. I got scammed and the police are taking it seriously because I did a lot of research to provide them with enough information and that came from reading all the posts that everyone has been kind enough to leave.

WOW, totally unbelievable however, I'm glad that you are all brave enough to share your stories. I recently met a this guy on a paid website... Chemistry.com who goes by the name of RJB-Ronnie Joseph Benson, who is 49yrs. widower,his dob: July 2, w/a 6yr old girl name Laurie Lynn, her dob: Dec 2nd. He's originally from Sweden, currently in the UK-Nigeria & coming to the states. He's in his own business of Aniques, use to work for a bank-Pacific Bank as a CPA long enough to raise capital to start his antique business. However, his story recently changed a couple of days ago indicating to me that on his way to the airport his cab was hijacked and he was robbed and his daughter was hurt. They stole his wallet, and then he has this hospital bill to pay etc.... you know the rest of how this goes by now. He asked me if there was anyway that I could send him $834.00 for the hospital bill and I blatantly responded with "NO" sorry I cannot assist. I gave him suggestions to contact the embassy etc...for assistance. I consider myself a wise individual however, when stories quickly change and he's unable to get assistance from any other sources....I have a issue with that. I don't care who good he is replying to emails, IM etc... SO THIS IS MY WARNING TO ANY OF YOU OUT THERE.....who receive a initial contact as such. Good Luck!

The good news is Match.com is finally cooperating (thanks to the FEDS forcing them to cooperate) and has blocked the hundreds of Scammers that were using Match.com to find victims. When you are contacted by someone who is suspect (whether it is a dating site or email), the first thing to do is GOOGLE their name, email address or IM name and see what comes up. It will be obvious if the person has been using that name and email address to scam for some time. Your local police and the Department of Justice in your state do not have jurisdiction. They will tell you that they are "so concerned about your losses," but they have no power to do anything about it. The internet crimes division http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx helps, but they won't work with you, they work on their own time at their own speed. IC3 is inundated with victims. Times are tough and these guys work 24/7 with multiple victims in a day. With hotel rooms running $250 -$650. a night and high class nightclubs, they are living the high life with brand new cars, bling etc. in a country were people are starving. They are greedy and don't help the poor, they only help themselves and their prostitute girlfriends. If you think that they are going to pay you back, forget it, it will never happen even if they are arrested.

The Nigerian Law Enforcement is the only entity with any power to arrest and stop the Scammers, but unless they are using an internet cafe, it is hard to trace them with their fake IP addresses, fake credit cards and phone numbers that are routed around the world.

Do not believe anyone who says they are an Antique Dealer, Engineer, Architect, Builder etc. that has been sent to Nigeria to work, or even the UK. The UK has no entity to handle these cases, so they often say they are in the UK when they are really in Nigeria. They are hitting all countries in all languages now with programs to translate languages quickly in emails. The U.S. is taking some action, so those of you in Australia, and Europe, beware, they think you have more money now that the US is in an economic depression.

If you get caught up cashing checks for these guys (yes, the" women" on dating sites are usually guys), YOU can be subject to arrest for conspiracy to commit crimes. If you are willing give them your bank account number, credit card number, social security number, you are aiding and abetting them and STUPID. DO NOT GIVE ANYONE THE ABOVE INFORMATION! If you suffer credit issues because you "fell in love" or cashed a fake check through your bank account: Contact the below entities to have them assist in repairing your credit.

I have spoken to some victims. Most of them are smart, but lonely. Normally between the ages of 45-65 and when they find out that they have been scammed, they take it out on themselves by taking medications to sleep or for depression; they take it out on their families which has the domino effect of hurting hundreds of people. Most victims are in such denial that they will protect the Scammers from their relatives and continue to send the PERPETRATOR money . . .WHY? Because they think that these poor guys need them or will starve. NOT! They are the best liars in the world and will say and do anything to get YOUR MONEY.

i was in muslimmatch.com an user name called labunka gave me her email, i got her pic, loved it, 1 day she is missing, i become impatient next day she comes up, menstrual problem had to go to clinic. need money to buy her drugs. i searh for her in facebook, same email different pic. I was totally taken back.

I wanted an explanation she said it is her friend who is using her email for her facebook.

now what I want to know from u is this following phrase that u have:

"I enjoy great conversations for starters...Love antique collecting & nostalgia in general. I can enjoy a great dinner with that special someone or just kick back curled up in his arms & do nothing"

this same line I found in her labunka account in muslimmatch.com, facebook account and ur post which u sent aug26th 2009,